Shoulder pad



Sept. 17, 1946.

M. R. WI THAM SHOULDER PAD Filed March 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l ZJt v MEIR/UN HIV/THEM v 33% 51 14 Se t, 17, 1946, M. R. WlTHAM 2,407,755

SHOULDER PAD Filed March 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 avwwm MHRIUN HWTHF IM Patented Sept. 17, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOULDER PAD Marion R. Witham, Westfield, N. J. Application March 8, 1946, Serial No. 652,871

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in shoulder pads for garments and dresses, being particularly concerned with a two-piece removable shoulder pad.

Shoulder pads are used in garments whenever the wearer desires to make the shoulder line of the garment appear wider, higher or better proportioned than the outline obtained by the wearers natural shoulder contour. Where it has been the practice heretofore to permanently sew the shoulder pad into the garment, such an arrangement is not desirable, as it complicates the cleaning and ironing of the garment and the pad does not retain its shape. These difliculties have been overcome by the present invention by having a removable padding located within an outer cover which is equipped with snaps or buttons for removably securing the pad in position within the garment. The outer cover and the inner removable filler are preferably of triangular construction and of such a design that they may be readily made in various izes and the outer cover is capable of receiving inner removable fillers of varying thicknesses.

Thus one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved shoulder. pad having a removable outer cover and a removable inner filler.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved shoulder pad provided with means for removably connecting the same in position within the garment.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved shoulder pad having an outer cover of triangular shape with an opening provided on the straight of the material through which the pad is inserted.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a shoulder pad having an opening through which a removable inner filler is inserted, with the opening so constructed and located as to avoid all gapping or distortion.

Another object resides in an improved shoulder Dad so constructed and. having an opening so arranged for a removable filler that upon installation of the pad the opening is caused to be closed, providing insurance against any possible shifting of the filler, whether the garment is on or oif the wearer.

These and other objects and advantages residing in the construction of the outer cover and the manner of design and location of the opening for the removable inserted filler, and in the combination, arrangement and construction of the 2 component parts will more fully appear from the following specification and claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a piece of woven fabric from which the outer cover is made,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the fabric folded along one edge and stitched,

Fig. 3 shows the fabric shown in Fig. 2 with one corner thereof folded on the bias to make a two-ply triangular portion,

Fig. 4 shows the construction of Fig. 3 with l the lower portion doubled upon itself,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the lower two-ply edge folded to be disposed over the triangular portion, V

Fig. 6. shows the construction of Fig. 5 with the opening flap having its outer edge turned back,

Fig. 7 is a. view similar to Fig. 6 showing the completed outer cover,

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 with the opening flap turned down to receive the removable filler,

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a square piece of filler to be inserted into the opening of the' outer cover shown in Fig. 8, i i

Fig. 10 shows the filler of Fig. 9 folded into a triangle,

Fig. 11 shows the completed outer cover of Fig. '7. with attachment snaps sewed to its three cor ners,

Fig. 12 shows a modified arrangement of the snaps shown in Fig. 11, with the same being secured along the hypotenuse,

Fig. 13 is a further modified arrangement of l the snaps being located along a line bisecting the right angle,

Fig. 14 shows a. snap arrangement upon the garment to removably receive the outer cover shown in Fig. 11,

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14 showing the snap arrangement for receiving the cover shown in'Fig.12,

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 14 showing a snap arrangement receiving the outer coverof Fig. 13,

Fig. 1'7 shows the cover of Fig. 11 installed upon the garment shown in Fig. 14,

Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing buttons sewed to the outer cover along a line bisecting the right angle, and a Fig. 19 is a view similar to Fig. 14 showing a tape carrying buttonholes attached to the. garment to receive; the attachment arrangement shown in Fig, 18.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a piece of woven fabric with corners A, B, C and D. The dotted lines F-M and HI indicate the fold lines. As shown in Fig. 2, the fabric has been folded upon the line FM and stitched at I2. In Fig. 3, the corner F is shown folded over to the point H and stitched along the lines M to form a triangular pocket I 6. Referring to Fig. l, the portion of the fabric H-IC.-M hasbeen-foldedalong the line Z,Y of Fig. 3 and stitched along the line I 8. In Fig. 4 the closing flap for the triangular pocket I6 is indicated by reference character 20 and in Fig. 5 the flap 2!] is shown folded along the line HI and stitched along the line 22. To complete the triangular appearance, the corner portion K-YI of Fig. 5 is shown turned back in Fig. 6 and in Fig. '7 it has been stitched down along the line 24 to complete the outer cover 26. a

In Fig. 8 the flap isshown opened up to permit insertion and" removal of the removable inner filler 28 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 10' and preferably made from a square piece of suitable filler material 30 shown in Fig. 9, of cotton, ka-poc,

I down, wool or other soft resilient substance,

folded into a triangular shape and then stitched along the lines 3-2 and 34. Depending upon the material of which the filler 28 is made, it may be desirable in some cases to enclose the filler 28 in a fabric sack of a corresponding shape.

It is to be understood that the upper edge ZK .teria'las is the lower edge HI of the triangular pocket l6. This arrangement provides an opening for entrance into the pocketlfi which has a tendency to remain smoothly closed at all times avoiding any gapping ordistortion of the opening while the pad is being used and any shifting of the filler; The manner in which the shoulder pad is removably fastened in the garment and the different arrangements for the location of the snaps or buttons has been illustrated in Figs. 11 to 18, inclusive. In Fig. 11, the outer cover 26 of the pad is shown provided withconve'ntional snaps 36 located at the corners and adapted to removably attach to the garment 38 shown in Fig. 14 to which has been sewn corresponding shape 40. It will be understood that the garment 3% in Fig. .1 1 is shownwrong side out as is the garment in Figs. 15, 16, Hand 19. The neck of the garment is indicated at 42 and the armhole at 44'.

In Fig. 12, the snaps 46 are shown located along the hypotenuse of the triangular-shaped outer cover 26 and engage with similar snaps 48 positionedadjacent the armhole of the gar.- ment 38 shown in Fig. 15. In Fig. 13 the outer cover 26 has the snaps 50 located along the line bisecting the right angle corner of .the pad. Fig. 16 shows the manner in which the cooperating snaps 52 are provided in the garment 38 in order to removably secure the pad 26 with the snaps arranged in the mannerof Fig. 13.

In Fig. 17 is illustrated the manner in which the outer cover 26 of Fig. 11 with the filler 28 of Fig. 10 inserted is supported on the inside of the garment 38 with the opening covered by the flap 20 located adjacent the garment 38. As heretofore stated it will be remembered that the garment 38 as shown in Fig. 17 is turned wrong side outwith the result that the pad when it is worn in the garment is underneath rather than on top as shown in Fig. 17. 7

Referring to Fig. 17, it will be noted-howthe hypotenuse of the triangle of the outer cover 26 is located along the usual seam ofthe armhole 4 44 and that the right angle corner extends toward and is secured adjacent the neck opening 42. The snaps 36 and 40 are of well-known conventional construction consisting of a male part and a female part which are resiliently held together but may be readily pulled apart. With such an 7 arrangement of snaps as shown in Figs. 11 and 14, the pad may be removably held in position in thegarme-nt. When the garment 38 is being laun'dered and pressed, the pad may be removed. The outer cover 26 may be washed or cleaned after the filler 28 has been removed. In this way it is not necessary to clean or launder the filler '28'with the result that the pad retains its original con-tour until discarded. Accordingly, the garment 33 may lb laundered and pressed independentl-y of th pad' and likewise the outer cover 26 of the flap 2,0 is cut on the straight of the maof the pad may be laundered separately or if not soiled need not be laundered with the garment 38. Moreover, the removable filler 28 need not be laundered with the outer cover 26 and may be takenout and used over again after laundering ormay be'replaced by a clean filler or one of greater or less thickness as maybe desired. Preferably the snaps 36 are sewn to the same sideof the outer cover 26 as the flap 20, with the result that the opening in the outer cover 26--'to receive the filler "28 isalways positioned against the insideof the garment 38. This results in the smooth side of the outer cover 2 8 always being presente to the shoulder of the wearer of the garment 38. Also, it positions the opening in the triangular pocket 16 closedby the flap 20 in such a positionthat there'- is no likelihood of distortion and gapping or shifting of the filler as the pad is beingworn in the garment. These precautions are in addition to the inherent tendency for-the opening in the outer cover 26 to be smoothly closed at alltimes" due to its location and the fact that the opening defining the parts are out on the straight of the cloth. It will further be appreciated that with shoulder pads constructed and attached in the manner described; there is no possibility of shoulder straps 0n undergarments catching upo th opening in the outer cover-26 with thefiller 2's.

The shapeof the filler 28 in relation-tothe outer cover 26 makes the assembled pad fit smoothly around the armhole both front and back of't-heshoulder seam, giving added comfort and a smooth finished appearance to'the shoulder of the garment. The detachabilityor the assembled pas not only makes cleaning and laundering easier but when the garment 381s pressed or ironed, operators can obtain a smooth, unwrinkled shoulder line free from the press marks usually formed when pressing over a permanently installed' pad, which may or may not have retained the original shape after cleaning or laundering.

In Fig. 18, the outer cover 26 is shown provided with button 58 sewn on the same side of the cover 26' as the flap 20. In Fig- 19, the garment 3B is shown provided with a tap 52. having buttonholes 5-lof the proper size to permit the assembled pad to be buttoned onto the garment-38 in a manner heretofore described with reference to the snap attachment shown in the forms of Figs. 11, 1'2 and 13. I a 7 Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

l. A triangular shoulder'padfor garments comprising an outer cover of woven fabric, folded oh the bias and stitched along one side to form a triangular pocket, said pocket being opened along 5 an adjacent side of the triangle on the straight of the fabric, a flap for said opening folded over said opening on the straight of the fabric having its ends stitched along the sides of said triangular pocket, and a triangular removable filler located in said pocket.

2. A triangular shoulder pad for garments comprising an outer cover of woven fabric in the form of a rectangular piece cut on the straight of the fabric and folded on the bias and stitched along one side to form a triangular pocket, a flap for said opening folded over said opening on the straight of the fabric and having its ends stitched along the side of said triangular pocket, and a fabricated from a rectangular piece of fabric folded into a right angle triangle, two sides of which are straight of the material and the third side is a bias fold, one of said sides of said straight of the material being stitched, the other side of the straight of the material presenting an opening, a flap disposed over said opening and stitched at its end along said bias side and said stitched side, and a triangular removable filler inserted into said cover through said opening.

MARION R. WITHAM. 

